JDT has been hinting Dack needs a rest so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Dack on the bench. If Wharton is out but we're 5 at the back I wonder if it's Ayala or Phillips accompanying Carter and Hyam

 A Club will still be deemed to have met the deadline if, even after the deadline, amendments are requested by the League to correct errors or omissions in the documents already submitted, but both the League and the FA will not complete the registration of the Player until the amendments are provided and found to be in order.

This feels fairly relevant!

As others have alluded to, I think Brittain has to come back in. It looks to me that some of our problems stem from both left and right midfield having to double up at full back. JRC is an adequate 2nd choice but not fast or aware enough for a team looking towards top 6

Wouldn't it be amazing if the clubs failure in this transfer window led to the emergence of Leonard in the second half of the season - 15 goals and a 5 year contract using the wages we can't spend on LOB

39 minutes ago, TheRevAshton said:

There's no chance we win this appeal - and honestly after that shit last night, I don't care in the slightest anymore.

We're not making the top 6 with or without O'Brien, in fact we won't even finish in the top half playing like that.

We desperately needed a striker in January, they failed. We could have Casemiro dominating in the middle, but this lot still wouldn't be able to get the ball in the net.

I'm not totally sure about this you know, I think with a midfielder able to defend and turn quickly to attack ( on the transition as JDT has spoken about repeatedly) I think we'd look a different team

I wonder what sort of timescales exist around the appeal? You'd think rovers would be submitting a lengthy enough document that the efl would have to take a couple days to at least pretend it's given consideration to. The flipside being, LOB is effectively clubless and Rovers presumably can't make any free agent decisions without knowing what the wage bill looks like.

 Piecing together what's come out I assume we're saying the efl wasted half an hour asking about the impact relegation would have. We then messed up on the spelling of a surname which took it past 11pm and our argument will be we could have rectified that had the half hr not been wasted. If that sums up the appeal I think it's got no chance.

For me, the problem last night was a lack of cutting edge but more than anything this is a rovers team short on confidence. I can see it any time SG considers shooting, same with BBD and Morton. We need a bit of luck, couple goals to come in and let these players have a bit of freedom. 

One point that I know won't go down well but needs to be said - the booing was embarrassing and can only compound the issue. Dack and Thomas needed to come off, that wasn't a tactical switch it was needed because they were clearly knackered. To an extent I get the booing at full time which was more frustration than anger but again, this is only going to create an atmosphere where players hesitate before acting. I'm not saying we should be deliriously happy at all times but creating an atmosphere players feel comfortable in is massive and we are going the opposite way at Ewood right now.

We don't realistically need another cebtre back but I always thought Jones could be converted to defensive mid, before he left I'm sure he played there a couple of times. Stranger things have happened I guess although I've no idea how we'd get round the wages issue

Does anyone know what Nickos patreon actually says beyond the headline?

1 minute ago, Miller11 said:

Deafening silence while the fans work themselves into a frenzy is a poor attempt at softening the blow!

Yea I agree, putting something out along the lines of "don't worry, this'll be worth it Rovers fans" would help

If there was a late issue with O Brien we'd know by now. This is the club sorting the media bits ahead of a decent launch in an attempt to soften the blow of BBD signing a pre contract.

Got to be BBD on his way with Hedges switching to the left?

My thoughts on the game:

As others have pointed out, a decent first half. We doubled up othe right to combat Giles - Hedges was key here and took a lot away from JRC so I thought an odd decision to give motm the other way.

Gallery never stopped working but that first half miss when he skewed it 10 yards wide was criminal 

Dack ran a lot and switched with BBD which worked well to give us space but neither seemed to be able to get much creativity going on

Hyam is superb, calm, solid, just excellent

Ayala worries me in possession and too slow out of it.

Pickering reads the game well and I thought was decent when keeping things simple.

Buckley played some gorgeous passes but if we want him as a deep lying playmaker he needs to be alongside someone strong to break up play. This is where we lost the game for me, Buckley and Morton don't work well together. The red card was onviously ridiculous all round but i have a feeling last season Buckley kept getting bookings through silliness?

Should Kaminski have done better for Boros first?

I can see the benefits of drawing the press and then beating it with longer passes, that worked for the first goal and could have led to more but we have to have another option, especially when behind with 5 mins to go.

Finally, when did we get a drum in the jack walker? First time I've heard it last night although i dont get to go as much as I'd like

It's time now. Sad to say it but the dressing room needs a new voice. We still have a chance of the playoffs but it's clear that won't happen as things stand. His contract ends in the summer so it's not a huge financial issue, the players heads are down so we don't risk knocking their confidence, I don't think there's a downside.

So frustrating! As others have alluded to, I honestly don't think we were that bad but we just never looked like scoring. I remember thinking during the purple patch that we weren't actually playing that well, PNE comes to mind as a game that could easily have gone the other way so perhaps this is just a levelling up as we find our true position of upper mid table. What a depressing thought.

On a personal level, my little lad is really starting to get into football so we've gone to ewood a couple times in recent weeks and I've let him watch the first half of a few sky games but he's yet to see a goal! if it keeps going like this he'll end up wanting to watch someone else and to be fair, I can't blame him. I wonder how many other potential rovers have been lost over the last 10 years.

I'm a little worried about Tony's comments around "some personal issues that won't be aired". Not sure exactly what he means but I hope it doesn't allude to arguing amongst themselves

Has he been linked to West Brom? Must have missed that? Can't see venkys letting him go unless they are royally peed off with him after the Rothwell saga

40 minutes ago, neophox said:

Time for Butterworth to have an impact hopefully and really this is Gallys big chance.

Khadra, Gallagher

Buckley

Edun, Travis, Rothwell, Nyambe

Wharton, Van Hecke, Lenihan

Kaminski

 

would be the frontline with Butterworth ready if it doesnt work with Gally.

 

 

Can't see the team being anything other than this unless there's a covid issue lurking and the worrying part is that I feel like TM has hinted about exactly that. As we saw with Trav, there's a couple of positions that we just can't cover.

Still, I'm looking forward to this one which no doubt means we'll be awful! I've been a rivers fan long enough to know not to rely on any result, I just want to feel like we're having a go and that there is a clear gameplay.

13 hours ago, RoversClitheroe said:

Personally think we are back to seeing Brereton rather than Brereton Diaz, hope I'm wrong, we need him firing for the second half of the season

This worries me too. I've always thought that since it appears confidence has made such a difference to him in the first half of rhe season, it wouldn't take much to knock that and put him back to last years performances. I just really hope we're not seeing the start of that.

I'd be tempted by £20m, especially if Brighton would consider turning one of the loans into a permanent deal. I worry BBD is a confidence payer and that it won't take much to shake that leaving us with the player we had for the first 2 years

13 minutes ago, ben_the_beast said:

Mowbrays recent comments about the owners needing a plan and if he isn't on the journey, not letting them throw it all away are odd. Does he have an eye on an upstairs, director of football type role...

If he did. My view is he wouldn't allow a manager to manage. I think he'd be sticking his oar in. He does love to talk football. He's a stubborn man as well. Too principled at times. I think he'd cause conflict. 

But.. at the same time. We feel a bit fucked. Venkys don't have a plan. As soon as Mowbray is gone the vultures will be circling to mug us off once again. Because the owners still don't have a clue what they are doing. The perfect situation of a proper set up is never going to happen. Having a person with football experience in place at director level in Mowbray, even though I'm sure it would come with conflicts and challenges could be the next best scenario.

I'm not a fan of this as I'm typing it. But. Like I said. In my opinion we really are a bit fucked.

Ah, pretty much what Ben said!